On Friday, President Barack Obama was pushing for the passage of health care reform.

“I don’t know how this plays politically,” the president said.

“Nobody really does. ... I don’t know whether my poll numbers go down or they go up. ... I do know that this bill, this legislation, is going to be enormously important for America’s future,” Obama said.

Holden, meanwhile, cannot be convinced.

The Democrat from Schuylkill County remained steadfast against the bill. That has been Holden’s position since the House of Representatives passed its version of the health care reform bill last year.

He doesn’t think the moral imperative of providing health care for 32 million uninsured Americans and stopping insurance companies from refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and other reforms outweigh the flaws in this $940 billion bill.

“We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Holden said Friday.

He reiterated the reasons he opposes it: the bill’s call for $500 billion in cutbacks to Medicare in the next decade; a plan to tax high-end health benefits; limits on abortion coverage that are weaker in the Senate’s version of the bill than the House’s version.

Holden’s opposition, particularly as a “Blue Dog” Democrat from Republican-red central Pennsylvania, earned him a phone call Thursday from Obama.

The lobbying effort shows how hard Democrats are fighting in the final hours before Sunday’s vote to get the health care measure passed.

“The president called me,” Holden said. “I gave him my reasons. I can’t say he was very thrilled, but he said he knew the public statements I’ve been making. I told him those things again and said we could have done more on the economy, on infrastructure and water resources.”

If Holden is willing to tell the president “no,” he’s going to have no problem telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the same thing.

That means when the House votes today on overhauling how health care is provided and paid for by Americans, Holden will be one of the Democrats siding with Republicans against the measure.

The midstate’s Republican members of Congress — Reps. Todd Platts of York County, Bill Shuster of Blair County and Joe Pitts of Chester County — have all indicated they will not vote for health care reform.

Holden unabashedly calls the potential defeat of the bill a blessing in disguise, despite the lobbying he’s getting from health care reform advocates.

“If it loses, it’s a great opportunity to do things that are very positive for the American people. Again, I think leadership should have listened to what scores of Americans are saying. Instead of swinging for the fences, we could have hit a lot of singles and done some good things incrementally,” Holden said.

Holden has no doubt been emboldened by hospital administrators, business leaders and other opponents throughout the 17th Congressional District, which includes Dauphin and Lebanon counties.

Holden has been besieged by phone calls, constituent visits, e-mails and letters, including one from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber.

“While the business community wants health care reform, legislation under consideration in Congress does nothing to address the current cost drivers of health. Essentially, we will just be covering the costs with public dollars,” the chamber wrote to its members last week.

“This is not the best way to approach health care reform. Congressman Tim Holden has stuck with us on this issue, and it would be helpful if he hears from you that you appreciate his efforts. He is getting a lot of pressure from Democratic leadership in the House and, at times like this, it’s good to hear from the folks back home.”

But not all the folks back home oppose the measure.

His offices in Harrisburg and Pottsville have been the scene of protests.

Last week, the PA Health Access Network and Health Care for America Now targeted Holden.

Many constituents are still smarting over Holden’s refusal to hold any town hall meetings last summer, when other members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation hit the road and took a lot of flak. Holden’s decision not to listen directly to the people was troubling enough, but some critics take further offense that Holden did not seek to clarify lies and false rhetoric when tea party protesters overwhelmed legitimate debate.

“He parroted some of that rhetoric, including charges about abortion funding and Medicaid cuts that were not true,” said Marc Stier, the state director for Health Care for America Now.

“Tim Holden should have been out there correcting the record,” said Sheila Dow-Ford, the Harrisburg lawyer challenging Holden in a Democratic primary this May.

“All the excuses Mr. Holden has set forth for opposing this bill have proven to be red herrings,” she said. “I think this sends a deep message about where Tim’s values are. This is a vote about people who are without health care. This is a litmus test, and he’s holding his finger up to the wind to see what the polls are saying.”

Holden, an 18-year incumbent who has easily won re-election contests in recent years, doesn’t appear rattled by the criticism, which is as strong as it was during votes on NAFTA, the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and the Iraq war.

Related Stories

Featured Story

Get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox

This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.

optionalCheck here if you do not want to receive additional email offers and information.See our privacy policy

Thank you for signing up for 'Today's Front Page'

To view and subscribe to any of our other newsletters, please click here.